State-Sanctioned Domination Period

A State-Sanctioned Domination Period is a historical period during which a governing authority or state grants or endorses systems of control, oppression, or dominance over a specific population or territory, often through legalized mechanisms, military power, or political structures.

• Context:
  • It can (typically) involve the formal support of discriminatory policies, such as Apartheid or Segregation, that institutionalize inequality.
  • It can (often) include the enforcement of colonialism or imperialism, where a foreign power exerts control over a region for economic and political gain.
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  • It can range from being a period of open, violent subjugation, like during slavery systems, to more subtle, bureaucratically enforced control through laws and regulations.
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  • It can legitimize state violence or military intervention to maintain dominance over marginalized or subjugated groups.
  • It can involve the systemic exploitation of labor, resources, and rights, as seen in feudal systems or labor camps during these periods.
  • It can provide legal justification for the suppression of civil rights movements or the punishment of resistance efforts.
  • It can be enforced through the creation of laws or treaties that explicitly support domination, often later recognized as unjust or criminal under international law.
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• Example(s):
  • a Nazi Germany period during World War II (1939–1945), marked by systemic state-sponsored persecution and genocide of Jews, Roma, and other minorities.
  • an Imperial Japan period during the early 20th century, where military and political domination led to control over Korea, China, and other regions in East Asia.
  • the Roman Empire (27 BC – 476 AD), which maintained control over vast territories through military dominance and enslavement.
  • the Belgian Congo under King Leopold II (1885–1908), where brutal exploitation and forced labor led to millions of deaths.
  • the Spanish Conquistadors in the Americas during the 16th century, resulting in the domination and decimation of indigenous populations.
  • the Ottoman Empire during the Armenian Genocide (1915–1917), where state forces systematically exterminated Armenians.
  • the Soviet Union under Joseph Stalin (1924–1953), characterized by political purges, forced collectivization, and the Gulag system.
  • the British Empire’s colonial policies, where systematic domination was imposed on various territories around the globe, including India and Africa.
  • the United States' treatment of Native Americans, involving forced relocation, broken treaties, and systemic domination.
  • Apartheid in South Africa (1948–1994), where the state sanctioned racial segregation and oppression of the black population.
  • the Khmer Rouge in Cambodia (1975–1979), where state-sponsored violence led to the mass murder of millions.
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• Counter-Example(s):
  • Post-Colonial Periods where previously dominated countries gain independence and establish self-governance.
  • Democratic Reform Periods that seek to undo systemic domination and provide equal rights to all citizens, such as Civil Rights Movements.
• See: Colonialism, Apartheid, Segregation, Civil Rights Movements, Imperialism

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